Trombone virtuoso to perform, give master class

Abbie Conant, preeminent trombone virtuoso and specialist in contemporary music, along with her husband and musical partner, composer William Osborne, create new possibilities for the beloved tubus tractilus with their presentation of Cybeline for trombone performance artist, video and quadraphonic surround sound; and Music for the End of Time, a work for trombone, video and surround-sound. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, in Brechemin Auditorium.

Conant is somewhat of a legend in the brass world. She was principal trombone of the Munich Philharmonic for 13 years and recorded a critically acclaimed CD entitled Trombone and Organ/Posaune und Orgel. The story of her struggle for equal treatment and the same pay as her male colleagues in the Munich Philharmonic appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Der Spiegel and many other newspapers and makes up the last chapter of Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, which was on The New York Times best-seller list for 18 weeks.

A full-length documentary called, Abbie Conant, Alone Among Men, was aired several times on 3-SAT European television. With her husband she has created a grippingly dramatic repertoire of musical theater works for acting/singing trombonist. The artist couple has toured to more than 140 cities in Europe and the U.S. with their own multimedia productions.

In addition to the concert, Conant will lead a master class with UW music students at 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 6, also in Brechemin Auditorium. The class is free and open to the public for observation.

Tickets for the recital are $10, cash or check at the door. For more information call 206-685-8384.